In February 2008, CSN forecasts claimed that construction needed 88,000 recruits a year.

The latest CSN report also said it would take four years to get construction workforce levels back up to where they were in 2008 – to 2.6m workers.

But despite the dwindling requirement for workers, CSN has called on construction firms to maintain a commitment to staff training so that the industry’s workforce can be preserved throughout the recession.

Mark Farrar, chief executive of Construction Skills, said: “We expect an incremental recovery culminating in a growth rate of 3% by 2013, largely due to public sector spending and potential market recovery from 2011.

“The importance of firms ensuring that their employees are well trained and capable of delivering high-quality work – both now and when the industry returns to growth – should not diminish.”